Photographic folding camera



Nov. 9, 1954 K. DEEG ET AL PHOTOGRAPHIC FOLDING CAMERA Filed May 6, 1952 United States Patent 7 2,693,743 PHOTOGRAPHIC FOLDING CAMERA Karl Deeg, Munieh-Unterhaching, and Willy Kaden, Munich, Germany, assignors, by mesne assignments, to Agfa Camera-Werk Aktiengesellschaft, a corporation of Germany Application May 6, 1952, Serial No. 286,372 Claims priority, application Germany June 12, 1951 4 Claims. (Cl. 95-40) This invention relates to a photographic came aof the type having a folding struct system for establishing the lens-carrying front plate in the ready position, and more particularly to such a system Wh1c h 1s capable of supporting such plate without the necesslty of a pivotal connection to the baseboard of a camera.

It is common practice to attach one end of a pair of folding struts of such cameras pivotally to the camera body and to similarly connect the other to brackets which are fixed to the baseboard. The baseboard hlnge, in this construction, is utilized to set up the lens. For the erection of the lens two links are used which links are controlled by the forward folding struts and WhlCh are pivoted to the brackets on the baseboard. In the case of lenses of short focus it is obvious that 1t 1s unsultable to depend upon the baseboard hinge for the setting up of the lens.

An object of the folding strut system establish in operative present invention is to provide a for folding cameras adapted to position the lens-carrying front plate of lenses of even short focal with a minimum or no tipping of said plate and a minimum of strain upon the bellows of such cameras.

A further object thereof is the provision of folding strut means capable of supporting in operative position the lens-carrying front plate of the need to incorporate the camera baseboard in the loadbearing structure thus established.

A still further object thereof is to provide such a strut system which dispenses with the baseboard as a carrier element for the folding struts, limiting the function of such baseboard to the provision of a cover for the lens, and if desired, a lateral guide means for the principal erection elements.

hese and other objects are accomplished by providthe former is pivotally connected proximate its front end to a further strut, a rear portion of said further strut being in turn pivotally connected to the interior of the camera body at a point spaced from the pivot of the rear element of the folding strut Means may be provided to locate a detent member on one of the elements of the folding strut to prevent an angular distance between said elements in excess of 180 degrees.

Additionally, in the preferred form a forward part of ing front plate to establish the latter in the ready position, said link being itself positioned by means attached to the forward folding strut. The link pivot on said further strut may be in a rear vertical plane relative to the link pivot on the lens carrying front plate, so that raise it therefrom. Significantly, the strut assembly may be so dimensioned that on opening or closing the camera the lens carrying front plate moves substantially in a straight line.

The positioning of the link may be elfected by pro viding the same with a guide slot penetrated by a pin a folding camera withoutcamera body mounted on the inside of the forward folding strut. This slot may be shaped so that, in the ready position, the pin is subject to a friction lock therein, which lock can be released by infolding the folding struts.

The camera may have a hinged baseboard with a sliding attachment to said further strut. A releasable catch may be provided between the camera body and baseboard and a tension spring may connect the extreme rear ends of the two struts which are pivoted in the camera body, which spring, on release of the baseboard, positively urges the strut assembly into the ready position.

resent inventlon may be had by referring to the folloi ving explain the same without limiting it in Fig. l is a side elevation of a folding camera, embodying the strut system invention, extended position, portions of the camera body being broken away, and other portions of the camera being omitted so as to permit ready inspection of the strut system. For purposes of clarity, the camera cover is shown in dashed outline.

Fig. 2 is a similar view thereof in lapsed condition.

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary view thereof showing only the strut system (and the dashed cover) in a semicoliapsed condition.

Fig. 4 is a plan view-of said camera, portions of the over the rear portions of the strut assemblies being broken away to reveal such portions.

' the preferred form of the the closed or col- Referring to the drawing,

upon which, in the ready position, the lower portion 9a ward folding struts 2b engage in curved slots 10a of the links 10 and, on opening and closing the camera, control the lens-carrying front plate 9 in such a manner that,

the lens-carrying front plate mamtamedin the ready position by links 10 The frictional locking of lens-carrying front ing-strut. camera or to aeamera wlth spring 7 and to m anuallywmove m -a y A d tion y; h -.baseb ndm y. be -sdispenised .with; since, the; folding sjtruts in; .eornbination with-base struts :5; 1 and eame -iaxbody I '3th@ camera body, a1 'foldable 'stru a are pivotallymounted int-th base .strutslpivotally mounted 1 "on the release lmob14; 'which releases the hook 14a Mfrorncatch 8c of-baseboard8 and in-thismanner-allows the springs to come into action.

The invention is not limited to a spring-operated folda. ansve e h .boardsThe: sameverection ;-system ca;n -v also be= used in lrtheacase of -a verticalgconstruction of thepamera or i of the baseboard;- It is @ISQEPQSSlblG to dispense ,with aseboard 8 .-out of ortn triangular l.., linkages which secure; lenS' -Qarrying'Ffrdht plate 9 in its afinal position.

' gAlthough the subject inventionmhas {beendescribed -with a c'ertainsdegree .of;+particu1arity, -it understood that thepresent disclosure has been rnadetonly by- {way o t-e pl d t a r'num r u ad i n d; chan .in the details QfEQOnSt-l-UPQOII, eombinatiomand ment may be resor tejd togwitho'ut mangeof the invention as hereinafter claimed.

- .What is claimed is:

1.- In foldingg cameraghayinga camera-:bodyand a =b 'seo rd h g dz h e o,- w ns-support xte d into ssembly foruadvancing and-retract ng the lens ,suppo ,saiiilSsernbly com- 1 prising, a pair of. folding struts thegrearrpams of which mer;a body, aupairof theeamera bodynrearwardly of the hinged connection of hQ base;board -with the camera body, the-forwardmarts.ofgisaid :folding struts being pivotally connected directly to theiforwardaparts of saidbase-struts,- links-one end'of w 101123.116 attached tothe base struts-inwardly of the-apivotalconnection between the outer ends of the folding: strutsnandthe .base .struts,-the, otherzend of=,tl1e links being attached ranscend ng:the-scope in; anextendedposition lies adjacent the forward edge to the lens support while the middle of the link is pivotally and.--slidably/ connected ...midway.- thealength. of

the outer end of the folding struts, the rearward pivotal mounting of the folding strut members and the base struts being in spaced substantially vertical relation, the base struts at their outer-ends having projecting pins that engage into grooves on each side of the base board to control the position of the base board.

2: Thestructure-according to claim 1, wherein the connection betweengelements of the folding struts when of the camera body.

3. The structure according to claim l,' wherein the base,strut,s-have ontheir outerendsupper surfaces which are parallel to the hinged base board when the same is extended and-the lensmount hasattachedthereto brackets having a lower surface. whichengages the surface of the base strut to erectthe lens board.

4...The structure a'ccording to claim 1, wherein the ends ofitheifolding struts andsthetbase struts beyond their pivotal mQunt-ings *thecamera .body are connec'te'd. by a; tensioning member, norrnally tending to .extend the strut assiemblyarid the base board of .the 

